Sunday, May 15, 2016

Another Reason to Strip Russia of 2018 World Cup – Region Said Forced to Cut Help for Cancer Victims to Build Putin’s Stadiums

Paul
Goble

Staunton, May 15 – In addition to
state-organized doping of athletes and the racism of many Russian soccer fans,
there is another reason that has now surfaced for stripping Russia of the right
to host the 2018 World Cup: the Kremlin’s policies appear to be forcing regions
to cut assistance to cancer patients in order that they finance new stadiums
for the competition.

In Nizhny Novgorod, a local finance
official reportedly told a recent conference, the government has been forced to
cut back spending not only on kindergartens, schools, roads, and bridges but
also to delay plans to build a cancer treatment center -- even though that
disease is now the number one killer in the oblast (kommersant.ru/doc/2975564).